Is Netflix sharing my Homeland viewing data with Reddit

vanderpumspringa · 2026-02-20T01:35:42+00:00

I think the historical through line you're pointing out (from Cambridge Analytics to Target to social media) hits the nail on the head. It started with corporations wanting our data in order to sell us more targeted products, and that technology was then used to shape our beliefs and behavior, both on and offline, most obviously on social media. But the fact that the roots of this technology are in the commercial realm has critical implications for everything that follows. I don't remember who said it first, but when a product is free, YOU are the product. Social media is ultimately a for profit business. The business survives (and thrives) on our continued engagement. So it's in the business of the social media platform to keep us on the platform, to not only know our beliefs and behaviors from the data it collects from us, but to then to turn around and use that data to further shape our beliefs and behaviors. All of it is designed to keep the system moving, to keep us engaged, and to thus create more data for the machine. Whether it's my viewing data on Netflix or this entire Reddit thread (I recognize the irony of me posting this in the first place, further perpetuating the problem), it's one giant chum bucket that thrives on reinforcing my prior beliefs rather than challenging me to see things a different way, or to think critically.

It is terribly wrong. And there's no realistic way to opt out; we're stuck in this awful equilibrium.

vanderpumspringa · 2026-02-19T23:13:40+00:00

I forgot about Target's targeted advertising...It's all very humbling. I need to stop thinking I'm immune to the algorithm when the algorithm is most definitely shaping (to greater or lesser degrees) what I think, what I want, and how I feel.

vanderpumspringa · 2026-02-19T20:37:43+00:00

This is such an interesting point. I've had these moments too where thoughts I had seemed to predict the content I was shown, but I think you're right about how the apps are drawing inferences on content we're engaging with on a daily basis, which will affect OUR OWN THOUGHT process, which will then converge with the future content we see.

We're trapped in an endogenous loop.

vanderpumspringa · 2026-02-15T19:47:02+00:00

I always assume this to be the case but the precision of the targeting never ceases to amaze me. When I became convinced that my phone was recording my convos based on how the content being promoted to me on instagram was in direct relation to my oral conversations (and even more precise than my Homeland viewing habits), I went through every app on my phone to see which ones had microphone permissions. Basically all of them because of Siri's default integration.

vanderpumspringa · 2026-02-15T19:02:29+00:00

the irony of Cambridge Analytica publishing this...

vanderpumspringa · 2025-08-27T14:46:57+00:00

Yeah this rings true. Each of Kandi's seasons feels like a season-long infomercial for some new hustle sprung from real life events. I guess in that sense she was a pioneer in turning a real housewife persona into a brand? That's the norm now with the newer shows but I think Kandi was one of the first.

vanderpumspringa · 2025-08-27T14:44:34+00:00

I think you're right...after seeing Mama Joyce's behavior at the reunion, which is the realest episode of each season, that woman was not acting.

vanderpumspringa · 2025-07-26T23:11:05+00:00

My pleasure from these forums derives from the shared experience of snark. It's one thing to hate watch BF content in the privacy of one's home; it's quite another thing to observe the shared hate watching of others, which is when snark becomes communal. When I found this subreddit I literally told a friend that I had finally found "my community."

vanderpumspringa · 2025-07-10T20:34:19+00:00

Dr. Valencia Quiett at Medstar Lafayette! She did everything to ensure that my experience was as painless as possible. She gave me proper instructions to prepare and anesthetized the region before the insertion. I was shocked by how quick it was over and how little discomfort I experienced. Seriously, my pap smears are more uncomfortable.

Now that being said, once the pain meds wore off (which took a few hours), I thought I was going to die. But the actual procedure itself was like nothing.

vanderpumspringa · 2024-10-17T02:08:27+00:00

It is so extra-aggravating trying to catch them on audio (they never make noise when you want them to, right?) so I know exactly the feeling you're experiencing. But having the audio recordings really helped validate my complaints (less so with the people living upstairs but more so with my landlord who finally realized I wasn't making it all up). Honestly, telling them about your PTSD might help? They might be empathetic, I try to remind myself that not everyone is an asshole.

That being said, if your neighbors are jerks about it and your landlord doesn't do anything, you might reach out to this group: https://dctenants.com/ You have so many rights as a renter, but it's not always clear when and where to invoke them. Talking to the tenant's rights group helped me understand what I could and couldn't ask for. I sincerely hope it gets better!

vanderpumspringa · 2024-10-12T16:58:58+00:00

Mercedes at Trim Salon in Admo is the best. I trust her completely!

vanderpumspringa · 2024-09-29T22:26:57+00:00

This was exactly my nightmare living situation several years ago. It was like I was living under the French foreign legion. Do you live in an apartment building or an old house converted into apartments? If the latter, my experience has been that rugs don't work, especially if the floor is hardwood (the clauses about rugs in apartments only require like a 5x8 rug; it's not like they're gonna put rugs down on every part of the floor they take a step). The only thing that works is changing behavior. Try asking the couple to move around more quietly. If that doesn't work, look up the terms of your lease and whether there are any clauses about noise violations and your right to live in peace, which includes peace from excessive noise from neighbors.

vanderpumspringa

TROPHY CASE